Search Results for: ankle

Summer Travel First Aid Kit

Packing up for your summer vacation? If you are driving, may I suggest you prioritize finding a small space (maybe under the passenger seat as above) to stash a first aid kit? If you already keep one in your car (hello, fellow soccer/dance/volleyball moms!) then let this be your reminder to pull that kit out of your car, CHECK EXPIRATION DATES, and replenish all your used up supplies.

What’s in my kit? Although I will confess my kit is over-stocked with “extras”, here is my basic essentials Top Ten First Aid Kit List:

  1. Ibuprofen (trade name Advil/Motrin)- for headaches, muscle
… Read more

Out with the OLD, In with the NEW (AKA Healthy New Year’s Resolution #1)

Happy 2016! Hard to believe we are nearly half way through January as I look at my home STILL filled with Christmas decorations. Many of us tackle the new year with a cleaning or de-cluttering frenzy after we pack up the holiday decor. In fact, it can be overwhelming as we survey overflowing closets, desks and kids rooms…wishing for that magic wand to neatly organize our lives. I once read an organization plan that suggested a better chance of success if you tackled ONE specific area and thoroughly completed it before you moved on- whether that was one drawer of … Read more

College First Aid Kit

Happy Fall 2015! I disappeared for the summer, as I finished writing the second edition of my first book (Seductive Delusions), as well as a series of medical articles for Livestrong.org. Since all of my patients are current college students, I thought I would share a series of posts about common health issues for otherwise healthy young adults. Pictured above is my favorite personalized gift for graduating high school seniors- a first aid kit, complete with my instructions for “when and how to use what” to feel better.

Let’s start with one very basic item that is … Read more

A Doctor’s Travel First Aid Kit

Packing up for your summer vacation? If you are driving and have the luxury of a bit of extra space, you may want to consider packing a first aid kit to take with your family. If you already keep one in your car (hello, fellow soccer/dance/volleyball moms!) then let this be your reminder to pull that kit out of your car, CHECK EXPIRATION DATES, and replenish all your used up supplies.

What’s in my kit? A handful of medicines have earned their way into my ever-ready first aid kit. Here is my top 10 list:

  1. Ibuprofen- for headaches, muscle aches,
… Read more

Do I Need an X-Ray?

When you hurt your back (or ankle, or wrist) and head to the doctor, should you expect an x-ray? In my last post, I mentioned that the only way to be certain whether or not a bone is broken is with imaging, and that is true. However, not every painful joint NEEDS to be x-rayed. I find that many patients are surprised or disappointed if I do not insist on an x-ray for an acute injury, but they are simply not always necessary, and radiation is not without harm.

XRAYS look at bones. They do not “see” cartilage, muscles, tendons … Read more